singlemates.net
Many women try online dating after failing to get or keep a date in the real world. Online dating can be a fun way to meet new people, but unless you actually meet each other in person, it won’t actually go very far. There are some things that every woman should know about online dating.
1. Pay particular attention to your personal safety. This means never giving out personal information such as your home address, phone number or your credit card details. Never agree to meet in a place that is secluded or poorly lit and always provide your own transport. It mans listening to your gut feeling about the other person and if something turns you off, do not agree to meet under any circumstances. Don’t be pressured by the other person. You have a right to say no and remain in control of the situation.
2. Many men who are interested in online dating, are not after permanent relationships. Some may even be married and not willing to divorce their wives. That is not to say all men are like that. It is possible to meet up with the love of your life through online dating and live happily ever after with him. Some people have done this. If your date seems hard to get onto, goes for some weeks without contacting you, only gives you a work or cell phone number or only calls at certain days or times, be suspicious. He could be married.
3. For some men, online dating means they forget what good manners are. Some people use anonymity as an excuse for saying – or rather, writing – things they would never do in real life. If you receive email that is not to your liking, either don’t reply or use the block feature in your email service, or on the dating site, if there is one provided. Never reply using your ‘reply’ button as this may reveal your personal email address to the other person. Instead, go the website, sign in and use the email address that was provided by the dating service.
4. You should be very specific in your profile about the type of person you want to meet. This will save both you and the others a lot of time and trouble. If you want to meet people of a certain age group, say so. If geographic location is important to you, describe that in your profile. What ever the specifics of your requirements are, it’s much better to go to the trouble of creating the profile that you want, than to have your inbox stuffed full of useless replies.
5. Once you have chosen a date, don’t spend all your time telling him how badly your ex treated you. He might begin to think there could be a reason for it. A new broom sweeps clean, so clean your slate and start afresh, even if you have had other bad experiences.
Once you have met a person online whom you feel comfortable with and would like to get to know a little better, it could be time to set up a meeting in person. However, be sure you keep some safety guidelines in place. There is no sense in putting yourself in any more danger than you need to. Of course, you don’t know that you will be in danger, but it’s best to err on the side of safety than otherwise. If your date cannot agree with your safety precautions it might be best not to agree to meet at all.
Never give out personal information like your home phone number or your home address. Once you agree to meet, make sure you choose a public place that is well lit and has plenty of people about. Do not agree to meet in a deserted park or beach. It might even be a good idea to take a friend along with you. Perhaps you could take another couple and go out as a foursome until you feel you can trust your date.
If you don’t take anyone with you, let your friends know where you are going and what time you expect to be back. They will be able to check up that you are all right, or inform the police if you don’t show up. If this sounds a bit over the top, remember that you don’t know any more about your date than he has decided to tell you. And you only have his word that he is telling the truth.
Once you have settled on the place and the time, make sure you do show up on time. Your date is likely to be as nervous as you are and if you are late they might simply walk away. You’ve spent a good deal of effort to get this date, so you don’t want to ruin it before it starts.
Dress appropriately for the occasion and make sure you feel comfortable with what you are wearing. You don’t want to have half your attention on whether you look all right when you should be focusing on your date.
Set boundaries and keep to them. Your date will respect you more if you set certain standards of behavior right from the start. If you both agree to a certain time, then you should both be there at that time, unless an accident prevents it. Remember, you don’t have to be perfect and neither does your date. Kindness and compassion go a long way to keeping a relationship healthy.